Ann Larkin

The Backyard Homestead Season-by-Season Workbook details not only what tasks to do to keep a small farm or homestead running smoothly — but when to do them. Each season is divided into chapters for early, mid, and late, with each chapter opening by identifying signs of the times: mud, flood, blossoms, and baby animals mean early spring, for instance, while grass growth and insect populations both peak in early summer. Handy lists and accessible sidebars highlight the season’s tasks and priorities, while narrative sections focus on one especially timely topic for each chapter, including plant rotations and soil building in late spring and sustainable woodlot management in mid-autumn. Individual season-by-season charts on what to do when for each topic, such as tractor or equipment maintenance, orchard care, and animal cycles fill out the appendix. Readers have plenty of room to check items off lists or leave notes such as, “Didn’t do this in Feb.; remember in March!” or “Need new gate latch by summer,” making the format of this book a welcomed workhorse.